Sweden is at it again. Not satisfied with churning out more hits than we’ve had hot meals, the Scandi powerhouse has unleashed yet another pop prospect for our waiting ears. Step forward Gothenburg’s Esther Vallee.
An artist producing a slick, captivating sound with the image to match, fresh cut “Hardcore” is an electro tinged offering crammed full of synths and hooks in equal measure. We caught up with the Swede in the run-up to festival season to learn a little more about her popstar credentials. This is Esther Vallee…
…on starting out in the industry
I wasn’t born with a rockstar/popstar dream, I think it came when I was ten and my dad bought me a piano. I’ve worked with a lot of singing coaches to try and find my own voice because I wasn’t happy with it before. It was always a struggle. I’ve been fighting to find it, but I knew I always wanted to work in music.
…on new single “Hardcore”
It’s about ripping the mask of and doing whatever you want to do. Me and Jocke Berg wrote it on our second session – he’s the singer in the band Kent. So he began talking about life in LA (as he’d been living there) and I was curious about the lifestyle – I’ve been to LA once, two years ago, and it was like this world. It’s so creative. You’re riding around, you’re drinking wine, you’re just living life. The song is about that kind of world. It’s about doing what you want to do!
…on English Vs. Swedish?
I don’t know why but writing in English just came naturally, something happens in my brain. I think when you’re younger, you think it’s cooler to write in English. Swedish sounds silly. It’s so naked and every word becomes so strong and defined. Veronica Maggio is the best Swedish singer in our language. Ever. I don’t know another writer that writes as well in Swedish – she writes like it’s a movie!
…on the song she’d claim as her own
OK, this is tough. Someone is probably going to say “Oh, no!” but I’d have to say Robyn. When I was younger she was my biggest inspiration and I’ve been listening to her for years. She never disappears, her music is always there. But I would say “Show Me Love”. I would have loved to have written that song.
…on playing live
Playing music live is the main thing I enjoy. I want to do this for the rest of my life because I want to be on stage for the rest of my life. Recording in the studio, writing, photoshoots – out of every part of this life, being on stage is the best one. That’s where the magic is. There are so many artists that have so many great songs – singing live is such an important part of being an artists.
…on her new album
The thing is, I already have so much material and so much music. I feel as though I could release an album today – and that’s incredible! That’s what you want. But I feel I’m just not ready yet. It will definitely be towards the end of 2018. I have singles I want to show the world first and build my fan base – that’s so important. When I’ve built that fanbase, then I’ll drop an album.
…on her ultimate playlist
The sad part is, when you write so much music, you just end up sitting, listening to your own demos. It sounds ridiculous but it’s important, I guess. I listen to people like Khalid. There’s this Californian band called LANY and there’s also Dua Lipa – she is of course one of my biggest influences. Within 2 years she’s one of the biggest artists in the world. She’s such a big inspiration. I’ve been listening to Julia Michaels a lot – she’s a great writer and singer.
